The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless pagers. More particularly, the present invention relates to the application of wireless pager technology to the distribution of information about musical events such as live performances and dancing.
Portable radio receivers and transceivers, such as wireless pagers, have become increasingly popular as a means of communication. Pagers are typically carried by users who wish or need to receive communications when they are away from a telephone or computer, or are unable to predict where they may be reached at a given time.
In general, the user of a pager purchases the unit and enters into a contact with a service provider. As shown in FIG. 1, when someone 12 wishes to page a particular user, they contact the user""s service provider 11, identify the user to be paged (perhaps with a personal identification number), and may give a message to the service provider 11 that is to be broadcast to the user""s pager 15.
The service provider 11 maintains a network of radio transceiver base stations 13, 14 which are spread throughout the service area covered by the service provider. The transmitting base stations 13 are distributed so that transmissions from at least one base station can be received by a pager 15 anywhere in the service area.
In a simplistic system, when the service provider 11 receives a request to page a user 15, the page is broadcast by all the base stations 13 in the system. Thus, if the pager 15 is located anywhere in the service area, it will receive the page. The pager 15 will then alert the user that a page has been received with, for example, an audible or vibratory alert signal.
In a more sophisticated system, the pager 15 may have the capability to not only receive a transmission from the service provider""s system, but also to transmit an answer back to the system. This is referred to as two-way paging.
With these advances, the usefulness of pagers as a means of communication has expanded rapidly. Service providers have encouraged this expansion by experimenting with pagers as a means to disseminate information of interest to pager users. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,695 to Nelson et al., incorporated herein by reference, a one-way pager system is used to relay sports or financial information to a pager user who has contracted with the service provider for that service.
However, there are many potential, undiscovered applications of pager technology which may provide pager users with, as yet unheard of, abilities to communicate. This is particularly true of the developing two-way pager systems. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and applications of pager technology to meet the information and communication demands of pager users.
Music is also extremely popular in modern society. Concerts and clubs featuring live music and/or dancing are plentiful, especially in urban areas. Due in part to this popularity, it can be extremely difficult for an enthusiast to monitor the performance schedules at the many places where an event of interest may occur or where a group or artist of interest may perform. The task is further complicated by the fact that many times such performance schedule information is unpublished, or the event or performance is impromptu.
Thus, there is a need for a means of communicating musical event information to interested members of the public, particularly information which is unpublished or otherwise inaccessible. There is also a need to be able to request and obtain such information from any location without the need to locate a newspaper, telephone, etc.
It is an object of the present invention to meet the above identified needs and others. Particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pager technology in which a pager user can use a pager to receive musical event information.
This is a further object of the present invention to provide a pager technology with which the pager user can query a service provider for musical event information.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pager technology with which such musical event information is relayed in response to the pager user""s query and, further, that such information is specific to the general area where the pager user is located.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
To achieve the stated and other objects, the present invention may be embodied as a method of using a pager and paging system to provide musical event information to a pager user by compiling a musical event database of musical event information for transmission to the pager; compiling a subscriber profile database of profiles for subscribers which detail the type of musical event preferred by each particular subscriber; matching musical events listed in the musical event database with subscriber profiles; and transmitting the musical event information which matches a subscriber profile to that subscriber""s pager.
This activity may be precipitated by the subscriber. Using his or her pager, the subscriber may generate a signal representing a request for musical event information; and transmit the signal to the paging system with the pager.
When the paging system receives the transmitted signal from the pager, a processor of the paging system identifies the signal as a request for musical event information; and identifies the pager transmitting the signal. The processor can then identify a subscriber profile corresponding to the pager identified as transmitting the signal requesting information, and match musical event information from musical event database with that subscriber profile corresponding.
When receiving a transmission from a subscriber""s pager, the processor of the paging system also preferably identifies the base station of the paging system which is best receiving the pager transmission from the subscriber""s pager; identifies the subscriber""s pager from which the pager transmission is sent; identifies a corresponding subscriber profile; matches information from the musical event database with that corresponding subscriber profile; and screens the matching musical event information for information relevant to the location of the base station which is best receiving the pager transmission.
The method of the present invention also preferably includes compiling a musical event information database by having subscribers contact a service provider who is compiling the musical event information database with musical event information for inclusion database; and rewarding subscribers who volunteer musical event information to the service provider. Additionally, the method of compiling the musical information database may include receiving contacts from musical event promoters with information about musical events, especially where the information is otherwise unpublished.